I can't believe how silly this show is. Don't get me wrong, I am a sci fi fan, and I am not one of those nerds who will dismiss a show just because it is scientifically inaccurate. Also, I am a fan of the superhuman theme in science fiction. So I approached this show expecting to be delighted, and instead, it made me cringe at every mention of science it presented, since all the omni-present science in it was not only bogus, but also insanely ignorant.
The main characters of this show are brilliant scientists, there is lab work being done in every single episode and the science is always crucial to the plot. This is the case in many sci fi shows, some of which disregard scientific fact completely (like Lexx or most of Star Trek), but at least they do not pretend to be scientifically accurate. But in Prey, the creators based a lot of the plot on scientific discovery, like the central gimmick of a new species of human having recently evolved. Now I only know highschool-level biology - vaguely - but still, I wonder if most scientists would really agree that it is conceivable that a new species would evolve in the course of 40-odd years due to global warming. Also, if the new species is a species of human, are humans a new species of monkey? The basic premise is also that the new species of human (sic) is bent on eliminating the old species of human (us), just like the homo sapiens eliminated the homo neandertalis - which is just another glaring misconception of evolution as we know it - including the fact that, by the same token, humans should be driven by one single motivation - exterminate all the monkeys. Are we? I know I'm not.
Apart from the tons of silly technobabble that anyone who has read a 5-page article about genetics in a children's encyclopedia would be able to discredit, there is also a lot of bad things going on with the characters. Both humans and super-humans are very inconsistent, and not convincing. The female lead is always trailing and aiding some guy, being helped and/or rescued by some guy, or being assaulted by some guy, and she is always back on her feet and smiling within 3 seconds of having been rescued. The superhumans seem just not super enough, and often turn out to be very bad planners or simply sociopathic. By the end of the first (and only) season, you sort of wish that all of the cast be replaced, or all of the main characters be rewritten (the supporting actors and background characters are a lot less annoying and have more integrity, which, along with the presence of my favorite superhuman theme, is the reason why I gave this show such a high rating).
If this show had taken itself less seriously and tried to provide more entertainment and less pseudoscience, and if the characters had been more consistent, it might have been a better watch - as it is, although there are worse shows out there, I think I see why it was canceled (although in reality it was probably caused by something totally unrelated to the show itself). It's sad that such a nice idea was carried out so badly.
The main characters of this show are brilliant scientists, there is lab work being done in every single episode and the science is always crucial to the plot. This is the case in many sci fi shows, some of which disregard scientific fact completely (like Lexx or most of Star Trek), but at least they do not pretend to be scientifically accurate. But in Prey, the creators based a lot of the plot on scientific discovery, like the central gimmick of a new species of human having recently evolved. Now I only know highschool-level biology - vaguely - but still, I wonder if most scientists would really agree that it is conceivable that a new species would evolve in the course of 40-odd years due to global warming. Also, if the new species is a species of human, are humans a new species of monkey? The basic premise is also that the new species of human (sic) is bent on eliminating the old species of human (us), just like the homo sapiens eliminated the homo neandertalis - which is just another glaring misconception of evolution as we know it - including the fact that, by the same token, humans should be driven by one single motivation - exterminate all the monkeys. Are we? I know I'm not.
Apart from the tons of silly technobabble that anyone who has read a 5-page article about genetics in a children's encyclopedia would be able to discredit, there is also a lot of bad things going on with the characters. Both humans and super-humans are very inconsistent, and not convincing. The female lead is always trailing and aiding some guy, being helped and/or rescued by some guy, or being assaulted by some guy, and she is always back on her feet and smiling within 3 seconds of having been rescued. The superhumans seem just not super enough, and often turn out to be very bad planners or simply sociopathic. By the end of the first (and only) season, you sort of wish that all of the cast be replaced, or all of the main characters be rewritten (the supporting actors and background characters are a lot less annoying and have more integrity, which, along with the presence of my favorite superhuman theme, is the reason why I gave this show such a high rating).
If this show had taken itself less seriously and tried to provide more entertainment and less pseudoscience, and if the characters had been more consistent, it might have been a better watch - as it is, although there are worse shows out there, I think I see why it was canceled (although in reality it was probably caused by something totally unrelated to the show itself). It's sad that such a nice idea was carried out so badly.